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Patience, Pride and Jesus

“Be patient, then, my friends, until the Lord comes. See how patient farmers are as they wait for their land to produce precious crops. They wait patiently for the autumn and spring rains. You also must be patient. Keep your hopes high, for the day of the Lord’s coming is near.” James 5:7-8

James wrote to a group of believers who were struggling with being patient for Jesus’ return. They were living under exploitation and distressing times, and James encouraged them to “set the timer of their temper” for the long run. Challenging these believers to persevere under suffering, he tried to stimulate them to stand firm and to live sacrificial until the Lord returned to right every wrong.

James called them to be like the farmer who waits patiently for the rain and the harvest, and like the prophets and the patriarch Job who demonstrated perseverance in difficulties. The finish line was just ahead and James encouraged the believers not to give up.

When we are being tried in a crucible of distress, God desires to help us continue living by faith and trusting in His compassion and mercy – the way to great patience is through great trials, we must trust and release our pride for our patience to truly be seen.

“Everything that belongs to the world – what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of, none of this comes from the Father.” 1 John 2:16

So what is the common denominator among all of our internal conditions? Pride, in one form or another. Pride is self-focusing, either in condescending attitudes that promote our own stateliness, pity parties that seek to impose guilt on others, or the desire to be the center of attention. The bottom line is that pride must be deflated. “By pride comes nothing but strife.” (Proverbs 13:10) The psalmist accurately describes those choosing to continue in wickedness: “Pride serves as a necklace; violence covers them like a garment.” (Psalm 73:6) Before one can bring about positive behavioral change one must call sin what it is; SIN! If all contention is motivated by pride, we must then conclude that anger motivated sin is pride based. Pride comes from being high on “self”. It might be self wants, self exaltation, self pity or selfishness, but self focus is the common ill.

No wonder God hates pride, for pride neglects the interests of others. God is love, and Biblical love initiates by giving, it sacrifices itself, just read John 3:16. God and His love are perfect; He has no internal conditions. His anger always responds righteously to the already known external conditions that our “rebel race” imposes upon Him. If our love were devoid of pride, our anger would always serve God and others, because we would have no rage or resentment problems to hinder selflessness, so think, for God so loved the world, He gave His only Son!